MIDNIGHT SPECIAL Child Star Jaeden Lieberher may be getting more of the recognition he deserves! Following impressive critical and audience response for the sci-fi thriller from acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols, Midnight Special will launch the second wave of its North American release on Friday, April 1st.
The film earned an outstanding $38,000 per-screen average across only five theaters on its March 18th debut in Los Angeles, NYC and Austin, for an approximate opening weekend total of $190,000, making it one of the year’s most successful limited openings.
The film, starring Jaeden Lieberher, Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver and Sam Shepard, first played to overwhelming acclaim at its February 12th world premiere in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, and again at SXSW on March 12th. Stellar reviews have top critics calling it “brilliant,” “gripping,” “spell-binding” and “ambitious,” citing great performances and proclaiming Nichols “a master filmmaker.”
Writer/director Jeff Nichols proves again that he is one of the most compelling storytellers of our time with the sci-fi thriller “Midnight Special.” A provocative, genre-defying film as supernatural as it is intimately human, it follows a father, Roy (Michael Shannon), who goes on the run to protect his young son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), a boy with mysterious powers that even Roy himself cannot comprehend. What starts as a race from religious extremists and local law enforcement quickly escalates to a nationwide manhunt involving the highest levels of the Federal Government. Risking everything, Roy is committed to helping Alton reach his ultimate purpose, whatever that might be and whatever it costs, in a story that takes audiences on a perilous journey from Texas to the Florida coast, while exploring the bonds of love and trust, and the nature of faith.
Beyond its April 1st expansion, “Midnight Special” will continue its theatrical rollout with additional screens and markets on April 8th, April 15th and April 22nd. “Midnight Special” will next expand to approximately 55 screens in 17 total markets, with additional openings set for Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington DC, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Minneapolis, Portland, Little Rock, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
“Midnight Special” has been rated PG-13 for some action and violence.
Jaeden Lieberher was only 10 years old when he reported to the set of “St. Vincent” in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, to work with Bill Murray, Melissa McCarzthy, Naomi Watts, and Chris O’Dowd. Of his first feature film, Bill Murray, who notoriously dislikes child actors, said of Jaeden, “He’s self-composed and he responded brilliantly.”
Lieberher grew up in South Philadelphia and moved to Los Angeles in 2011, with his mother, Angie Martell, ironically, not to pursue a career show business. Jaeden is represented by CAA and Dayton-Milrad-Cho Management. He can be seen next in Book of Henry with ROOM Child Star Jacob Tremblay.